Nearly one in every 10 of the nation’s 3,141 counties has a population
that is more than 50 percent minority, the U.S. Census Bureau reported
Thursday.

The shift reflects the changing face of urban counties, the result of
legal and illegal immigration particularly from Central and South America
and the higher birth rate among blacks and Hispanics. The Census Bureau
predicts that by 2050, minorities will account for half of all US residents.

Nationally, the number of minorities topped 100 million for the first
time in 2006, to make up about one third of the population.

The two largest counties passing this threshold between July 1, 2005, and
July 1, 2006, are Denver County, Colo., and East Baton Rouge Parish, La.,
with total populations of 566,974 and 429,073, respectively. Three other
counties were in Texas (Winkler, Waller and Wharton), with one each in
Montana (Blaine), New Mexico (Colfax) and Virginia (Manassas Park, an
independent city and considered a county equivalent).

Los Angeles County, Calif., had the largest minority population in the
country in 2006. At 7 million, or 71 percent of its total, Los Angeles
County is home to one in every 14 of the nation’s minority residents. The
county’s minority population is higher than the total population of 38
states, with the largest population of Hispanics, Asians, and American
Indians and Alaska Natives in the country. It also has the second largest
population of blacks and Native Hawaiians and Other Pacific Islanders.

Harris County, Texas, gained 121,400 minority residents between 2005 and
2006, which led the nation. Harris (Houston is its largest city) now has a
minority population of 2.5 million, comprising 63 percent of its total. Its
minority population ranks third nationally, not far behind second place Cook
County, Ill. (Chicago).

Based on total population, Starr County, Texas, located on the Mexican
border, had the highest proportion of all counties that was minority, at 98
percent. Among the nation’s 25 most populous counties, Miami-Dade County,
Fla., had the highest proportion minority, at 82 percent.

Highlights for the various groups:

Hispanic

Los Angeles County had the largest Hispanic
population (4.7 million) in 2006, followed by Harris County, Texas, and
Miami-Dade (1.5 million each). (See table
Excel |
PDF.)

Maricopa County, Ariz. (home of Phoenix), had the
biggest numerical increase in the Hispanic population (71,000) since July
2005, followed by Harris County, Texas (63,000).

Starr County, Texas had the highest Hispanic
proportion of its total population in 2006, at 97 percent. In fact, each
of the 11 counties with the highest Hispanic proportion of its total
population was in Texas.

Black

Cook County had the largest black population (1.4
million) in July 2006, followed by Los Angeles County (1 million).

Harris County had the largest numerical increase
(52,000) between 2005 and 2006, with East Baton Rouge Parish next
(19,000).

Claiborne County, Miss., had a population that was
85 percent black in 2006, which led the nation. All 50 counties with the
highest percentage black population were in the South.

Asian

Los Angeles County had the largest Asian population
(1.4 million) in 2006, with Santa Clara County, Calif. (home of San Jose)
the runner-up (556,000).

Santa Clara County had the largest numerical
increase (17,600) from 2005 to 2006, followed by Los Angeles (15,700).

Honolulu County, Hawaii, led the nation with a
population that was 59 percent Asian. One other county – Kauai, Hawaii –
was also majority Asian. San Francisco County, Calif., led the continental
United States, with 34 percent of its population Asian.

American
Indian and Alaska Native

Los Angeles County had the largest population of
American Indians and Alaska Natives in 2006 (150,000) with Maricopa
County, Ariz., ranking second (95,000).

Maricopa County had the largest numerical increase
between 2005 and 2006 (3,700), followed by Riverside County, Calif.
(1,600).

Shannon County, South Dakota led the country in
2006, with 88 percent of its total population of 13,800 being a member of
this group in 2006. Shannon was first of 10 counties/county equivalents
that were majority American Indian and Alaska Native.

Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander

Honolulu County had the largest population of this
race (177,000) in 2006, with Los Angeles County (59,000) second.

Hawaii County, Hawaii and Clark County, Nev. (home
of Las Vegas) had the largest numerical increases in this race since July
2005, around 900.

Non-Hispanic White Alone

Los Angeles County had a nation-leading 2.9 million
residents who were part of this group in 2006, with Cook, Ill., second at
2.4 million.

The largest numerical increase from 2005 to 2006
belonged to Maricopa County, Ariz. (35,500). Wake, N.C. (home of Raleigh),
ranked second, gaining 18,700.

Magoffin County, Kentucky, with an estimated 13,400
total residents, and Mitchell County, Iowa, with an estimated 10,900 total
residents, led the nation with 98.9 percent of their population being
non-Hispanic white alone in 2006.

Tabulations by age showed:

The 10 counties with the highest proportion of
people 65 and older is dominated by Florida which contributed four
counties to the list, led by Charlotte County at 31.2 percent.

Georgia, Alaska and Colorado combined accounted for
seven of the 10 counties with the lowest proportion of people 65 and
older. Chattahoochee County, Ga. — home of the Army’s Fort Benning — had
the lowest percentage in the country at 2.6 percent.

Seven of the 10 counties with the highest proportion
of their population younger than 5 were in Texas, South Dakota or Utah.
Webb County, Texas (home of Laredo), topped the list at 13.1 percent.